Martin Demichelis' red card proved pivotal as Barcelona beat Man City 2-0 at Etihad Stadium to take control of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie. The visitors had the better of the early going as City soaked up pressure well, but Demichelis' second-half foul on Lionel Messi allowed the Argentine to stroke home the first goal from the penalty spot. Barcelona made the most of their numerical advantage thereafter, as Daniel Alves added a second in the closing stages.

Cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain were the other big winners on the night, recording a resounding 4-0 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen. Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the inspiration, as his two goals led the way at the BayArena. Blaise Matuidi opened the scoring for the Parisian giants three minutes in, while Yohan Cabaye's first goal for the club was the icing on the cake in the dying stages.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on the other hand is quietly confident, revealing that his side are more mentally prepared to beat Bayern than this time 12 months ago. Last season's encounter had seen the Bavarian giants advance on the away goals rule, but Wenger believes the Gunners are in a better mental shape this time round after their excellent league form.

Fulham have finally confirmed the departure of coaching trio Rene Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins. The future of the trio had been in doubt since the sudden appointment of Felix Magath as first-team manager last Friday and it appears that all three have now left the club. Coaches Jonathan Hill and Mick Priest have also left Craven Cottage, with Magath eager to get his own backroom staff into the club.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's record signing Juan Mata is still harboring hopes of a top-four placing despite the club's disappointing campaign of late. The defending champions are currently 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool, but Mata is still hopeful that the Red Devils can claw back the deficit and qualify for next season's Champions League.